"....A few green leaves can make such a difference." -A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym

Saturday, June 19, 2010

My two-cents....our legal system:

A friend was selected to sit on a jury in 1st-degree murder trail this week. It was a complicated case, likely gang-related, with little or no solid physical evidence. But there were witness testimonies. After lengthy jury deliberations, the defendant suddenly pleaded quilty to a reduced charge with a shorter prison sentence. Well, OK...our justice system is certainly meant to give the innocent every chance to avoid unjust punishment; who could disagree with that? The system also affords the career criminal ample opportunity to escape just correction. My friend, who has never been near a criminal courtroom, was shocked by how comfortable so many of the people involved in the proceedings (not the lawyers or judge), the surroundings, the stakes; these were young people. Where could our society be headed? Troubling...